IPL: Rick Ponting and overseas stars likely to leave over mounting India-Pakistan tensions
India’s showpiece sporting event, the Indian Cricket League, could be put on hiatus as Australian and overseas players reportedly scramble to leave the country amid mounting tensions with Pakistan.
Last night’s match between Punjab Kings and Delhi Capitals was abandoned after floodlights in picturesque Dharmasala went out mid-match.
The outage was linked to the Pakistan conflict with India within the vicinity of the Kashmir region, which sits on the border of the two nuclear-armed countries.
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The Kings featured two Australians in the starting XI on Thursday, including Western Australia’s Josh Inglis, while Aussie legend Ricky Ponting coaches the franchise.
At least one match scheduled for Dharmasala has been relocated to Ahmedabad, but Ponting admitted post-match the league was up in the air.
“We’re not sure where we’re going at the moment … there’s been some talk about Ahmedabad and some talk about Jaipur, but we’re only really worried about tonight’s match,” he said.
“You know, there’s been a fair bit happening the last few days, and we’re just trying to make sure we focus on our performance here.”
There has been no official announcement from the Board for Control of Cricket in India, but if the competition’s overseas stars leave, it is highly likely the season will be postponed.
Pakistan have already made its move to secure the end of their high-profile T20 league after abandoning a match between Peshawar and Karachi just hours before the toss, with a drone reportedly falling into Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.
The country’s cricket governing body has confirmed the competition will be relocated to the United Arab Emirates for the final eight games, with overseas players set to be flown out today despite Pakistan closing their airspace for 48 hours on Wednesday.
David Warner has been captaining Karachi while Queensland’s Max Bryant plays for Peshawar.
Riley Meredith, Sean Abbott and Ben Dwarshuis are also playing in Pakistan.
